This is the stick he has whittled (I apologize for his pasty smile—he is in the pasty smile stage of life).
This is Shaemus on whittling.
And now onto spring.
Our thirty-one baby plants arrived and we planted them and honestly, without sugar-coating anything, the kids love their plants. We split the baby perennials up, everyone took a spot in the yard, and we spent Friday evening planting (and weeding) and just talking, talking, talking. (That was my favorite part.)
Now the kids check their plants throughout the day. They stare at them, waiting for them to grow. They are proud of their babies. Everyone is jealous that one of Calvin's is already blooming.
I don't know how long this enthusiasm will last, but we ordered ninety more plants (it was a choice between spending two hundred dollars on mulch or two hundred dollars on plants that will fill up all that empty dirt instead of mulch—we opted for plants, eek!) to divide up. They should arrive today. I have a system for how all this is going to work. I'll share the success or failure on Monday!
But the point of all this is, kids love gardens and gardening. They love to grow things.
So here are some great books for 6-9 year olds about gardens and plants, perfect for spring!
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (I love this book!)
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart (I really love this book!)
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Aston
Jack's Garden by Henry Cole
Planting a Rainbow by Lous Ehlert
On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole (I really love this one too!)
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
Dirt: the Scoop on Soil by Natalie Rosinsky
Oh Say Can You Seed? by Bonnie Worth
A Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian (I love the pictures in this book. Makes me want to move to the country and raise a crop of kids and a crop of plants)
Happy Spring!
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